Natural
by KawaiiShofu
Summary: The Kuchiki heiress is a new student at Karakura High, but gets an unfriendly welcoming from a certain carrot-top. Their relationship starts off on the wrong foot, but soon they become a big part of each others lives. IchiRuki.
1. Spilled Milk

**(A/N) This is not my first story. I came up with many ideas for a new story about Ichigo and Rukia during long car rides, and all I needed to do was piece them together. I have a lot in mind for this story and I hope it is successful and catches the interest of many readers. **

**I am a sophomore, so don't freak out if I use a lot of slang… Hehe. In this story, the characters go to Karakura High School, but it is totally different than what it looks like in the series. School colors are gray and red. No uniforms. Mascots are lions because that animal just seems so strong. **

**Rukia's hair is different in this story. It is longer than in the series, stopping just above her elbows. Her bang is still where it is. Orihime's bangs are clipped to each side, like when she was in Hueco Mundo, but the rest of her hair is a bit curled at the ends, much like the hair she wears during the 2-year time skip in the manga. **

**None of the Espada have their usual tattoos except for Grimmjow, who only has the tattoo of the number 6 on his back. **

**This is the first chapter of an unnamed story, and I will probably come up with the name for it when I'm done writing this chapter. **

**Anything with a * by it will be explained at the end of each chapter.**

**Please excuse any mistakes. Thanks in advance! **

**Sorry if my writing sucks.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, Blue's Clues, or their characters. **

Chapter 1 – Spilled Milk

**Wednesday, September 4****th**** – Karakura High School – 12:15 PM – Lunch Period**

"Kurosaki-kun, over here!" A timid voice called from a crowded lunch table. She waved to the boy whose back was turned as she collected her burnt-orange hair in one hand, pulling it to the side and keeping it from blowing into Ulquiorra's face.

Tatsuki nudged her best friend, scooping a spoonful of mixed fruits into her mouth. "I don't think he heard you, Hime."

"Hey, Arisawa!" Grimmjow pointed his fork at the girl, "Don't encourage her to open her big mouth! She'll shatter one of my ear drums!"

This demand caused a boy with a mop of fiery-red hair to whip around and face him. "Don't talk to my girl like that, asshole!" growled Renji, wrapping a protective arm around Tatsuki. "I'll kick your ass if I hear it again!"

"I can kick your ass in seconds, shit head!" barked back Grimmjow, a smirk playing at his lips.

Renji opened his big mouth, ready to retort the blue-haired bastard when Neliel brought her fist down to the table and demanded they both stop acting like children. "You two are like cats and dogs!" she yelled angrily. She turned to Grimmjow, placing her hand over his, her request done in a soft, pleasant voice. "Please, stop fighting with Renji. You two are friends."

He rolled his eyes and sighed, nodding in agreement with his girlfriend. "Alright, alright. Whatever."

Ichigo finally finished his conversation with Senna Shinenju of the Karakura cheerleaders and took a seat next to Grimmjow before giving him a brofist. "Hey guys," he greeted with a scowl. "Sorry I'm late-Shinenju tried to invite me to some dumb game she's cheering at, but I could care less."

Orihime smiled. "It's fine. Jaegerjaquez-kun stopped me from yelling for you multiple times!" She squirted ketchup onto her chocolate bar and started snacking on it hungrily. "I was beginning to get worried you lost your hearing," she half-joked.

Grimmjow rested his head on the table. "Damn, she keeps botherin' you to go watch her do shit." He knew very well that Ichigo _hated _Senna. A wicked smile replaced his smirk as he lifted his head slightly to face his best friend. "Unless she asks if you wanna see her strip. Wouldn't you like that, big boy?" he sniggered.

"Shut the hell up, Grimmjow." An angry Ichigo's scowl grew deeper as he impaled his salad with force, bending and nearly breaking the plastic fork in his hand. "She constantly invites me to events that she's in and I'm getting sick of it. It's been this way since junior high! I would've gotten here sooner if she hadn't blocked my way every time I tried to leave!"

"Man, can't she take rejection? She acts like she's your girlfriend…" Renji stated in a bored manner.

Grimmjow smirked. "The only girlfriend Carrot-Top here's ever had was Arisawa, the bitch," he replied casually as he sipped his juice. Neliel scowled and stepped on her boyfriend's foot _hard_, letting him know that she still did not approve of his bickering with Renji and Tatsuki, and she knew she finally got her message across when he winced in pain.

"Hey! That was only for 3 days, and it was in 7th grade!" Tatsuki shouted back. "And we didn't even like each other! You assholes told me to give him a chance, and you told him to give me a chance! Dumbest joke ever."

"Yeah, the most awkward 3 days of my life," sighed Ichigo, his scowl still apparent. "What I don't get is why she keeps trying to talk to me. Girls are supposed to fear me, not like me." What he said was true—Ichigo's trademark scowl scared off most of the student body, and those who he'd known well since childhood, those he liked, or those who he'd gotten along with were sitting with him at their usual lunch table.

The group continued to eat lunch together and began to share their first day as seniors, Ichigo desperately wanting to forget about Senna. Suddenly, he felt something cold and wet penetrate the fabric of his sneakers and immediately looked underneath the table to see his feet swimming in chocolate milk, turning around to angrily face the culprit who spilled it.

A petite girl calmly squatted down and soaked up the milk she accidentally spilled as if nothing was wrong. Unfortunately, Ichigo rose out of his chair and towered over her in an attempt to scare her into never crossing his path again.

"Hey!" He put on the most intimidating scowl he had to match his angry growl. His friends each raised an eyebrow, looking over from across the table to see what was going on.

The girl didn't look up; she didn't even _flinch_. She ignored him and continued to clean up the mess she made, intending to leave as soon as the floor was dry.

Ichigo's brows furrowed. "I'm talking to you, midget! Answer me!" He gripped his chair, his nails beginning to dent the metal back of it.

She heard him, but she refused to face him. "Gomen," she apologized lowly, her focus still on getting every drip of milk soaked up.

Ichigo was a tall guy, so from all the way down there, her apology was barely audible. Assuming she was defying him, he raised his voice, drawing attention from some students from other tables. "What the hell did you say to me? Do you know how wet and uncomfortable my shoes feel!"

The girl rose slowly, the look on her pale face easily expressing anger. She crushed dried and soaked napkins in the palms of her hands down her sides as her frown grew, and she looked him straight in the eye. "I SAID SORRY, DUMBASS!"

The tone in her voice had no trace of fear in it, and it left everyone at the table, including Ichigo, speechless with their eyes wide. Senna Shinenju ran to the scene from her usual table, making her appearance loud and attention stealing. "Ichigo! Are you okay? Is this dweeb bothering you? I'll kick her ass for you!" She sugar coated every word and lightly held onto his arm, which he immediately shook off.

Voluminous, raven locks bounced as its owner's neck turned to the left to face large, amber eyes. "You're going to kick someone's ass for _accidentally _spilling milkon someone else?" she questioned unbelievingly; was this cheerleader serious?

Senna brought her hands to her hips and smirked challengingly. "He's not just _someone else_," she spat back. "He's captain of the soccer team. He's the fastest guy on track. He's the smartest guy in school. He's the hottest guy in school. He's Ichigo Kurosaki. And, most importantly, he's my _boyfriend_, so BACK OFF, bitch!" She brought her fist back and clenched it as tight as she could before swinging at the short girl.

She didn't move an inch. Her violet eyes perceived the attack in slow motion, and before Senna's fist could come in contact with her skin, she raised an arm and casually pushed Senna's wrist to the left, *directing her fist away from her target with the back of her hand into nothing but air.

Orihime couldn't sit still. _Kuchiki-san is so calm_ _and cool! She didn't even blink! _The rest of the gang watched the girl unknown to them in interest, Grimmjow and Renji smirking in approval of her.

"H-How did you block my punch?" Senna's lower lip quivered in slight fear. "I-Ichigo, do something about it!" She shook his arm, encouraging and expecting him to fight for her, but all he could do was stare with his mouth hanging somewhere in between shock and amazement.

Rukia folded her arms over her chest, pinning both Ichigo and Senna down with an icy, dead glare. She tapped her foot and waited for an apology, and when she was sure neither of them would offer one, she sighed and reached into the pocket of her blazer.

Pulling out a wad of cash, she fingered past the edges of the green paper until she found 3 twenties. She pulled them out of the bundle and grabbed Ichigo's hand, turning it so its palm faced upward. He raised an eyebrow, unsure of what she was doing, but continued to watch in curiosity.

"Here." She sighed, her scowl still apparent, slapping the bills in his palm and curling his fingers over them. "I'm sorry for ruining your sneakers. Go buy new ones." She proceeded to bend over and pick up her lunch tray from the floor, and as she walked passed Senna, she softened her scowl only slightly. "Sorry for spilling milk on your boyfriend's shoes."

Rukia continued to walk, her stride completely calm with her chin in the air. She set her tray down at an empty lunch table outside of the cafeteria and began to eat what remained of her lunch.

Ichigo suddenly felt guilty. He didn't have to yell at the poor girl. She even gave him sixty dollars to go buy new shoes, and the spilling was an accident. All of it shocked him, especially how she stood up to him and casually redirected Senna's fist- not that Senna was good at fighting in the first place.

He was speechless. He literally had nothing to say. He was kind of embarrassed, actually. He made a big scene about how uncomfortable his shoes were and he ended up getting yelled at and paid money he didn't earn. To save himself, he looked in her direction and opened his mouth to apologize, but instead a low, "she's not my girlfriend!" squeaked out.

Senna broke out of shock and smiled confidently. "Great job, Ichigo! You scared her off!" she cheered. "You're my hero!"

"Get away from me," he grumbled. "Leave me the hell alone, Shinenju. I don't have time to deal with you." He sat in his chair again and started playing with his food, clearly not wanting to talk. He knew he should apologize, but he didn't know how.

Senna had never seen him this way, and it surprised her enough to shut her up and make her leave. Grimmjow eyed his best friend, punching his shoulder jokingly to test his reaction, but he didn't even look up.

_What's wrong with you, man? _The only time he ever saw Ichigo like this was when someone mentioned his mother, who passed away years ago from illness. What just happened must've hit him _hard _if he won't even hit Grimmjow back.

Ulquiorra sipped some of his flavored tea and cleared his throat. "I wonder who that trash was," he said.

"Schiffer-kun!" Orihime snapped, "She is _not _trash! She's a new student!"

Ichigo looked up, curious as to how Orihime knew that girl, but he continued to play with his food and pretend like he didn't care.

"And why are you defending the new trash, Inoue?" Ulquiorra sipped more of his tea, unaffected by the sudden raise in her voice. "New trash should be left alone, or tampered with."

Orihime looked disapprovingly at him. "She just transferred here from Seireitei High School. Her name is Rukia Kuchiki; she had third period with me, and we sat next to each other." She looked towards the exit of the cafeteria and saw Rukia eating alone under a cherry blossom tree, picking out petals from her salad.

Her beautiful indigo eyes saddened at the sight. "She's my partner in history for the rest of the school year, and I'm supposed to go to her house to work on our project after school." She turned to Ichigo and adjusted the pins in her hair. "Kurosaki-kun, I really think you should apologize to Kuchiki-san."

"Yeah, man. That was such a dick-move just now. She gave you friggin' sixty bucks!" Renji commented. Tatsuki nodded in agreement.

"Shut up," was all Ichigo could say, but his friends knew he meant "I know". He still needed to figure out how to apologize.

Neliel coughed. "She sure can handle herself in a fight. Senna is weak, but I thought that maybe because of Rukia-chan's size, she would have the advantage. I guess not."

"That was pretty sick," commented Grimmjow. "Makes me wanna get down with someone."

His girlfriend stepped on the same foot again, giving him a warning look. "Remember what Principal Yamamoto said: NO MORE FIGHTS! You'll get suspended, honey," she reminded him as sweetly as she could.

Ichigo clenched his fist and rubbed his temple. "Look, can we just get off the subject of Shinenju, fighting, and that… that… _girl_? It's annoying," he requested in a low, irritated manner.

All nodded understandingly, none saying a word related to that subject in fear he would break their now peaceful, quiet lunch.

**Sixth Period – 1:50 PM - Home Economics – Mr. Shunsui Kyoraku's Class **

Ichigo walked quickly from fifth period to sixth, wanting to avoid being caught by Senna and forced to walk her to class. From across campus, he could hear her asking every senior where he was, and that was all he needed to hear to pick up the pace.

During fifth period, he tried to come up with ways to apologize to Rukia. He thought of catching up to her before she left campus, but that would make it awkward since Orihime would probably already be with her. He thought of leaving an apology note in her locker, but he didn't know which one was hers. He even thought of looking her up in the phonebook to apologize over the phone, but he would just be interrupting her project time with Orihime. How the hell was he supposed to say he was sorry?

Lost in thought, he bumped into someone, knocking them over along with the books in their arms. He shook his head back into reality and scowled angrily at the person on the floor. "Watch where you're going!" he yelled.

His coffee-brown eyes soon met familiar violet ones. His scowl disappeared and he immediately felt guilty. He bent over and reached for her literature textbook in an attempt to help, but had his hand slapped away instead.

"I don't need your help," Rukia spat; it was obvious she recognized him. "I assume you purposely bumped into me so that when I spilled my books, one of the corners of a book would get caught in a loose strand of your clothing and pull it apart, so you can yell at me and I'd end up giving you money to get new threads." She picked up all of her books and stood, straightening out her shirt and walked passed Ichigo to a seat in the back of the room.

Ichigo scowled and marched after her. He slammed his books on the two-seated desk and glared at her. "Look, I didn't ask you to give me sixty dollars for my shoes, midget!"

"And _I _didn't ask _you _to yell at me. Oh, and I certainly didn't ask your _girlfriend _to start shit with me." It was still apparent that she was angry, and she didn't even look at him. She pulled out her agenda and wrote down the activities for the period, uninterested in what he had to say.

He wanted to pull his hair out; he was aware that he was saying the wrong things to her. "Rukia, I—"

"How the hell do you know my name?" She glared at him with such intensity that his throat clumped up and he had nothing to say—again.

The bell rang and Kyoraku-sensei rose from his seat in the front. "Good afternoon, Seniors! Home economics will be your last class of the day, and—excuse me, handsome man with the orange hair?"

Ichigo turned his attention to the teacher and finally found his voice again. "It's Ichigo," he squeaked. "Ichigo Kurosaki."

"Ah, yes. Ichigo-kun, please take a seat next to, uh..." Kyoraku-sensei scratched his head and tried to guess who Rukia was, wondering if she was related to any of the students from previous years.

"Rukia Kuchiki," she filled in calmly. Kyoraku-sensei smiled in appreciation and continued, "Take a seat next to Rukia-chan." He waited for Ichigo to oblige, which he did, and began going over the expectations of the course.

Ichigo made sure Kyoraku-sensei was deep into explanation before turning to face Rukia. He whispered in order to keep them from getting caught. "Hey, I just wanted to say sorry about earlier," he began. "I just… I don't know. My first day as a senior hasn't been going as smoothly as I expected it to be."

Rukia continued jotting down whatever Kyoraku-sensei said in her agenda and didn't bother to look at Ichigo. "It's not like my first day _in this town _went smoothly, either. And it doesn't mean you can take your anger out on me," she whispered back as she tucked her hair behind her ear. "By the way, you didn't answer my question: How the hell do you know my name?"

He felt extremely guilty. He's lived here his whole life and today was just like any other bad day, but she just moved here from Seireitei and he ruined her first day. He took out his agenda and began jotting down notes as well, which also made it less obvious that they were whispering to each other. "I had no idea it was your first day in town. I know I shouldn't have taken out my anger on you; I have a short temper. Orihime Inoue gave me your name."

She looked at him, Orihime's name catching her attention, and she decided to give him a chance since she knew Orihime was a very sweet girl. "Oh. Well, I suppose that bumping was accidental. I forgive you for that."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "What about earlier, at lunch?"

She gave him a look that said 'are you kidding me?' written all over it.

"I'm sorry," he sighed. He reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out the sixty dollars she'd given him earlier and slid it over to her side of the desk. "I really am."

Rukia eyed the money, then looked back up at him. Deciding he was sincere, she pushed the money back to him and gave him a _small _smile. "I'll forgive you, but only if you accept the sixty I gave you."

His scowl came back and he pushed it back to her. "No. Men don't take money from girls."

She scowled back even harder and shoved the bills back to his side. "Girls? I am _not _a girl. I am almost eighteen years old, asshole."

"Fine, women, whatever. Just take back your sixty—I can just dry my damn shoes, midget!" He pushed back the bills and focused his attention on writing in his agenda, not wanting to argue with her.

"No! I was the one who ruined them with milk, so take my sixty! I don't even need it! I have a lot of money saved up anyway!" She pushed it back right under the arm he was using to write with and focused her attention on her own agenda. "Take it, or I'll hold a grudge against you."

Ichigo glared at her. "You wouldn't…" he challenged.

Rukia smiled insincerely, "Try me." The look in her eyes convinced him she was telling the truth. Not risking the chance, he pocketed the sixty dollars and cursed under his breath.

"Ichigo-kun, Rukia-chan, is something wrong back there?" Kyoraku-sensei questioned from the front of the room, which causing heads to turn.

Rukia faked the most cheerful voice she could. "Oh, no, Sensei! Kurosaki-kun was just explaining to me the route to get home since I am new to Karakura Town!" She put on a fake smile and giggled cutely, earning a smile and nod of approval from Kyoraku-sensei.

Ichigo scowled. "That was _the _worst acting I have ever seen." He folded his arms over his chest and leaned back in his seat, already bored with the teacher's introduction to home economics. "I can't believe he actually bought it."

Rukia dug her face into a horror manga from her bag and glared at Ichigo from behind it. "You wouldn't know good acting even if it hit you in the face."

He snorted and rolled his eyes. "This coming from the girl who probably got acting lessons from Blue's Clues."

That earned him a hard elbow to the stomach. He held his stomach in pain, never having been hit anywhere by any girl other than Tatsuki—and it hurt, too. Rukia impressed him, but not enough to make her a part of his daily schedule. She was just a classmate; nothing more, nothing less.

The bell rang and everyone gathered their items and rushed out the door, eager to get home and relax from the first day of school. "Remember, there's no such thing as too much sake!" called Kyoraku-sensei as his students left.

"Well, I guess that's all I wanted to talk to you about," Ichigo yawned. "I'll see you around, Midget."

Rukia shut her manga and slipped it into her bag, then rose and pushed in her chair. "See you," she called behind her as she walked passed him to find Orihime.

Ichigo stepped forward suddenly, as if he had forgotten something. "Hey, Rukia!"

She stopped for a second to listen to what he had to say. "Yeah?"

He offered something he rarely ever showed—a smile. Even though it was small, it was friendly and very unlike him, but something strange made him feel glad that he had apologized.

"She's not my girlfriend."

At first, Rukia was confused, but finally recalled who he was referring to. She returned the smile before turning to leave again. "Good to know, Strawberry."

_She is one strange chick_, he thought as his usual scowl came back. _A pain in the ass, too._. He carried his bag over his shoulder and stuffed his free hand in the pocket of his jeans before leaving the room.

_At least I don't have to deal with her anymore_.

**(A/N) At least that's what you think, Ichigo…**

***When Rukia blocks Senna's punch, it is much like how Ulquiorra deflects Ichigo's Getsuga Tenshou with the back of his hand. **

**I hope you enjoyed.**

**-KawaiiShofu**


	2. Pervert!

**(A/N) Thank you for your reviews and for adding this story to your alerts and favorite stories lists. It means a lot to me and it keeps me writing. Hopefully I replied to all of those who reviewed. I was pretty sure I did, but then I checked my outbox and it said I only replied to 4 of you when I wrote 6 replies. I'm sorry if I didn't!**

**I know in some of the replies I said that I would update on Friday, but 2 days before that, on Wednesday, I ate some bad KFC and got food poisoning. Somehow, my whole body except for my fingers got paralyzed and I needed help walking short distances. I feel a whole lot better now, so I hope you guys aren't too mad at me for delaying this update…**

**I hope all the explaining about Rukia in this chapter doesn't piss you guys off. I kinda need to explain it anyways, or the rest of the story will just have you confused. **

**I re-read this only like, three times, so please excuse any mistakes. **

**Disclaimer: I neither own Bleach nor its characters. I don't own E! True Hollywood Story, either!**

Chapter 2 – Pervert

**Thursday – 12:05 PM – Lunch**

Ichigo made his way to the lunch line, cautiously looking back and forth to avoid another one of Senna's invites. When he got there, he picked up a tray and stood behind a rather short girl, anxiously waiting to get the hell out of there before Senna actually did catch up with him.

While the girl in front of him took rather long to decide on what she wanted for lunch, he tapped his fingers on the corner of his tray and scowled, wondering what was taking her so long; he was starting to get hungry and all he wanted to do was get to his table as quickly as he could.

His nostrils flared when the strong scent of bubblegum lingered through his nose. That could only mean one thing: Senna just got out of her class on the other side of campus. _Fuck me for forgetting Yuzu's bento at home_, he cursed at himself. _I would be at the damn table by now!_

Growing impatient, he tapped the girl's shoulder in front of him. "Excuse me," he said impatiently, "can you please hurry up? I need to get somewhere."

The side of her face was hidden behind her hair. All that was on her tray was the least popular flavor of juice and a bruised apple, whereas everyone in front of her and in back of him had various ripe fruits and vegetables, plus their choice of any available drinks. She and Ichigo were headed towards the front of the line where everyone received the main servings and paid.

"Sorry about that," she apologized, a bit saddened. "The food behind this glass just looks really good.." It seemed as though all her attention was on the food. As if on cue, her stomach growled, making her blush in embarrassment.

Ichigo recognized her voice. He shook his head when the server behind the glass asked if he wanted some salad, his scowl deepening a bit when he knew it was Rukia standing in front of him. "Man, not you again…"

Rukia tucked her hair behind her ear before facing Ichigo. A scowl played at her lips when his bitter words reached her. "What's that supposed to mean, Strawberry?"

He scoffed. "Nothing, Midget! Anyway, if you're that hungry, why don't you just ask for it?" He reached over the counter for his mixed fruit and set it on his tray, thanking the woman who handed it to him from behind the counter.

Rukia blushed madly. "I am not hungry!" she retorted, but her stomach growled otherwise.

Ichigo bent over slightly and knocked on her head lightly with his fist. "Are ya sure about that? I can hear your tiger of a stomach from all the way up here."

She couldn't help but laugh a bit. "Maybe I _am _a bit hungry. It's not that easy asking for these things—at least not for me." She moved along with the line and inched closer to the front, eager to see what the cafeteria had to offer today.

"What the hell are you talking about? Here, just watch me." As they inched closer to the front where the main serving for lunch was, he cut in front of Rukia and cocked his head towards the woman behind the counter, giving her a fake smile. "Hi, can I have a roast beef sandwich?"

The woman returned his smile and handed him a triangular sandwich in a nicely wrapped plastic container. "Here you go, sweetie."

Ichigo smiled again. "Thank you." He paid for his meal and stood near Rukia, waiting for her to do exactly as he did.

When Rukia reached the front of the line, the same woman behind the counter scowled. "What do you want, Kuchiki?" Her tone was rude and she looked irritated, leaving Ichigo slightly dumbstruck.

Rukia cleared her throat and tried her best to smile. She eyed the main servings for the day and decided on a cheeseburger. "Hi. May I please have a cheeseburger?" Her tone was polite and she looked sincere, but the lunch lady still kept her scowl on.

"Sorry, all out," she lied. She covered the cheeseburgers, along with all the other main servings, up with an empty tray from the oven rack and motioned for Rukia to move along and pay for her food. "We're out of everything," she grumbled, waiting for her to get to the cash register.

It upset Ichigo—a lot. Why did she lie to Rukia? He pushed passed some kids and glared at the lunch lady. "Hey, what gives?" he half-growled, remembering he was at school and was talking to staff. "I mean, why doesn't she"—he pointed at Rukia—"get any of the main servings?"

The lunch lady eyed Rukia, making sure she wasn't watching or listening. She cupped her hand near her mouth and leaned in towards Ichigo, whispering as if everyone had their ears open. "That there is Kuchiki Rukia, the girl that sailed through the easy life because Byakuya Kuchiki took her in! I've worked here most of my life and you don't see me cruising around in a brand new Lexus! If she's so rich, she can just have some fancy-schmancy restaurant deliver her food to the campus!"

Ichigo could feel his teeth clench. "But that's not fa—"

"Life ain't fair, sweetie," she stated, cutting him off. She patted his shoulder and motioned for him to move along so that the other students could pay for their lunch.

"What a bitch." When he didn't hear Rukia's reply, he looked around the room. _Where'd that midget go?_ He looked under the tables and around the cafeteria, but he couldn't find her. He sighed and scowled, walked to his usual table and dropped his tray on the wooden surface carelessly, clearly not giving a damn about the spilling of some fruits.

"Why the long face, Ichigo?" Neliel asked. She giggled lightly, "Did Shinenju bother you again? You know you can just give me the word, and I'll take care of her for you."

"Thanks, Nel, but it's not that…" He was deep in thought. Why did it matter if Rukia was taken in by… whoever the hell this Byakuya guy was? He'd never even heard of him until today, and the lunch lady acted like it was a big deal. It wasn't right to deny someone the right to eat, especially if they paid full price for it.

He glanced to his left and caught a glimpse of violet. He sat up straight and looked out the cafeteria exit and saw Rukia sitting alone again, eating around the bruise of her apple.

"I'll be right back, guys."

Orihime's eyes followed him out the cafeteria exit. She turned back to the group and clapped her hands together, ready to share more about what they were talking about before. "Kuchiki-san owns a skating rink!"

Grimmjow raised his hand excitedly. "Wait wait wait wait wait, Kuchiki has a skating rink? Damn! Invite me over!"

She smiled and nodded. "Mmhmm! She's such a sweet girl! Her maid told me all about how she's so great at figure skating and the trampoline and everything!"

Ulquiorra sipped his usual tea. "Interesting," he commented, "Maybe she is not trash at all. You have seen her perform all these acts, Inoue?"

"Well, not exactly… But I don't think the maid would lie about something like that! The Kuchiki Estate is ENORMOUS!" the bubbly girl stood on her chair and extended her arms, demonstrating how enormous she thought it was. "I think maybe it's even bigger than the school!"

Tatsuki pulled on the hem of Orihime's shirt and smiled, embarrassed. "Hime, keep your butt in the chair…"

Grimmjow smirked, "So, was there a *milf present?" His question earned a glare from Neliel.

Orihime blushed. "No! She only lives with her brother," she shared. "But her brother was at work and it was just me, her and her maid at her house. She just gave me a tour after we worked on our project."

"She only lives with her brother?" a confused Renji asked. "Why do they need a huge ass house then? What a bunch of show offs…"

"Shut up, dumbass," Tatsuki demanded. "Give her a break. She seems nice!"

Orihime continued to share everything about the Kuchiki Estate she knew with the gang as they continued eating their lunch.

Ichigo marched over to Rukia's empty table and sat across from her, the sudden extra weight catching her attention.

"Can I help you?" she asked in a bored manner. "I'm trying to enjoy my lunch." All that was on her tray was the bruised apple and the juice box, and she was already gnawing her way around the bruise on the apple.

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Why do they treat you like that?" he demanded.

Rukia swallowed a piece of the apple. "Because," she dabbed her lips with a napkin, "I am Kuchiki Rukia. I do not deserve special treatment. I'm sure the woman serving lunch has already informed you on that."

She was pissing him off; he already knew that! "No, I meant _why_. What's the big deal about you anyway?"

She poked the straw through the hole in her juice box and took a sip before answering. "It's not the 'big deal' about _me_," she sighed. "It's the big deal about the _Kuchikis. _They are a noble family."

Ichigo scowled. "I know that now. Get to the point already, Midget!"

She only smiled a little; it was fun to make him mad. "I'm adopted—as in, Byakuya Kuchiki is my adoptive brother. He's one of the most powerful and wealthiest men in Japan. I'm not of Kuchiki blood."

Ichigo nodded, finally beginning to understand why she was treated that way. "So that's why they were being total bitches? What about yesterday? You had a salad on your tray and chocolate milk…"

"How much of the salad did you see?" Rukia asked him, as if he were stupid. "Only half, right? The lunch lady gave it to me like that: half. Half of a salad. As for the chocolate milk, I got an over dated carton." She covered her mouth and started giggling, "But then I spilled it on you."

He blushed furiously. "Hey! That wasn't funny!" he blabbed out. "I was really pissed at you!" He finally calmed down and sighed. "Alright, be serious now. How much do you pay for lunch?"

Rukia contained herself and sat up straight. "Like, $5.00."

"Holy shit!" Ichigo's eyes practically bulged out. "That's $2.00 more than we pay!" He couldn't believe it; who would do that to a student? "Can't you go tell your brother about it or something?"

She laughed as if he'd cracked a really funny joke. "My brother?" She asked disbelievingly as she wiped the tears building up in her eyes. "He doesn't give a damn about me. He only took me in because he married my sister, and she died when I was 10. Now he's stuck with me, and it'll just make him look bad if he abandoned me."

That only made him feel even more angry. He clenched his fist and felt the heat build in his chest. _I'd take care of Yuzu and Karin if our old man died! Yet this… heartless bastard is only in it for a good reputation?_ It just wasn't right. 

_Why is Ichigo even asking me these pointless questions?_ Rukia grabbed her book bag and threw away her lunch. "Now, if you're done interviewing me for my *E! True Hollywood Story, I'll be heading off to fourth period now," she joked. "You don't even care, anyways."

Ichigo scratched his head. Why _did _he care? She was just a classmate—they weren't even friends. "You're right," he decided. "I don't care. Sorry for wasting your time."

She glared at him. "If you didn't care, why the hell did you come to my table? …Dumbass." When he ignored her, she began walking to her fourth period, and halfway across the grass, she turned around. "See you later, DUMBASS!" she shouted at him before she stuck her tongue out and stretched the lower eyelid of her right eye.

He stood almost immediately, his teeth gritting. "I'M NOT A DUMBASS!" Deciding there was no use in chasing her, he sat back down and sighed, running a hand through his hair.

Just then, Ichigo's friends walked to the table, Orihime leading the way with a bag of food in her hand. "Kurosaki-kun! I wrapped your lunch so the fruits won't rot!"

Ichigo pulled his hair in frustration. "That midget is so annoying!" _The nerve of her, calling me a dumbass! I'm fucking smart as fuck! I'm like, a Japanese Einstein! _

Grimmjow snorted. "Why were you talkin' to Shortstack anyway? Itchin' for her number or somethin'?"

The carrot-top shook his head. "She asked the lunch lady for a cheeseburger, but the lunch lady covered like, 20 of them with a tray from the oven and told her they ran out. All she had for lunch today was a bruised apple and a juice box." He cracked all of his fingers in an aggravated manner. "And get this: she pays $2.00 more than we do for lunch." _But it's not like I care, right? Ugh, why am I so mad then…?_

"I feel for her," Renji said. "That shit totally blows. It's fucked up, too. But hey, who are we to interfere with her life?" He yawned and scratched his stomach, which disgusted Tatsuki. "Renji, you're fucked up for saying that! One of us should at least help her feel more welcome."

Everyone looked back and forth between each other. Orihime just stood and watched her friends in a spectacle. Neliel's eyes darted to Tatsuki, Tatsuki's eyes darted to Ulquiorra, Ulquiorra's eyes darted to Grimmjow's, and Grimmjow's eyes darted towards Renji's. All of them had only one person in mind.

Tatsuki smiled wickedly and raised her hand. "I NOMINATE ICHIGO!"

Ichigo's mouth hung open. "Hey, what the hell?" he yelled.

Everyone else raised their hands. "I SECOND THAT NOMINEE!" they shouted together.

The carrot-top's scowl grew. "That's not fair! What happened to *nose-goes?"

Tatsuki smiled sympathetically. "Okay, okay. On the count of three, the last person who nose-goes has to welcome Rukia. Ready?"

Everyone, especially Ichigo, eagerly waited for her to count to three. Tatsuki smirked and looked back and forth between her friends, making sure most of them had their ears open for this. Each one of them had a finger in the air, ready to place it on their nose and yell, "NOSE-GOES!" as soon as they heard her yell "three".

"One…." She began. She glanced at Ichigo, noticing that he was practically sweating his ass off in determination to be the first nose-goer. She decided that he should be the one welcoming Rukia anyway, because he was such an ass to her on her first day.

Tatsuki sniggered, "THREE!"

"NOSE-GOES!" in various voices chorused into the air, leaving Ichigo dumbstruck. "Hey! What happened to 'two', Tatsuki?"

Ulquiorra grunted, his finger touching the pale skin of his nose. "You snooze you lose, Kurosaki."

"Since when did you use lines like that, Schiffer?" Ichigo grumbled. His shoulders slumped and he glared at his friends, angry that they'd tricked him into it.

Tatsuki couldn't help but laugh. "You deserve to, anyway! You treated her like crap yesterday," she reminded him.

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Why can't we just all welcome her? I mean, I already apologized for what I did yesterday…"

Grimmjow smirked. "Yeah, let's welcome her by going to her house with Inoue!" Neliel glared at him and stepped on his foot, forcing him to hop on one leg. "You just want to go for her trampoline!"she accused.

Orihime stepped forward. "Actually, Nel-san, I think that would be a good idea! I can take us to Kuchiki-san's house in Sora-nii's van. We can surprise her!"

Everyone nodded and Ichigo sighed with relief. Rukia was an annoying, weird, dumb midget! It wouldn't be fair if he got stuck being her welcoming committee.

"_Everyone, please head to your fourth period classes. The bells unexpectedly stopped working and we are trying to get them to work again as soon as possible. That is all," _Principal Yamamoto announced over the loud speaker. After agreeing to meet up later, everyone went their separate ways.

**1:50 PM – Passing Period, Between Periods 5 and 6**

Ichigo started his usual routine: He looked back and forth before stepping out of his fifth period class in fear of bumping into Senna. When he thought the coast was clear, he started whistling casually to himself and started walking to sixth period.

Senna looked all around her as she walked down the hall. _Where's my cutie pie? _She pulled a couple of seniors out of the stream of students by arm and demanded to know where Ichigo was, stomping her foot each time she got an 'I don't know'.

_Ugh! Where is he? _She pouted in anger and stomped her foot again, cupping her mouth before yelling, "ICHIGO! WHERE ARE YOU, HONEY?" as loud as she could.

Ichigo immediately stopped like a deer in the headlights. He heard her voice getting louder by the second, and he looked around frantically for any open classrooms he could hide in. Instead, he caught a glimpse of green and immediately knew who it was.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her to the side. "Nel, I need you to walk me to class," he begged. "Please! Shinenju's gonna rape me and I need you there 'cause I can't hit a girl!"

Neliel smiled and cracked her knuckles. "Okay. Let's go, Itsygo!"

Ichigo scowled. "I told you not to call me that," he grumbled as she pulled him by the arm.

"Do you want me to walk you or not?" she bargained. She smiled triumphantly when he didn't say a word.

"ICHIGO, SWEETIE!" Senna called as she ran and tackled him from behind with a flying hug. "Where were you? I couldn't find you anywhere, honey!" She squeezed him as hard as she could, happy that she finally found him.

The carrot-top coughed and gasped for air. "N-Nel," he gasped, "L-Little…. Help…. Heeere!" His face was beginning to turn various shades of blue and purple.

Neliel had to peel Senna off, but it didn't take up that much energy—Neliel was the only girl on the wrestling team, after all. "Get over yourself, Shinenju!" She held Senna up by the wrists, and because of her height and strength, Senna's feet couldn't even touch the floor.

"Let go of me!" Senna kicked her legs and wiggled her arms, but Neliel's grip was so strong that it actually gave her wrists a burning sensation.

"Leave Itsygo alone—or else!" she threatened.

Senna smirked. "Or else what? You'll dye my hair that nasty puke color you've got? Please," she sniggered.

Neliel could feel her teeth clench and her grip tightening. Nothing made her madder than a slam at her hair. _My hair is beautiful and natural!_

"OR ELSE _THIS_, BITCH!" She roared like a lion and *threw Senna across the hall so hard that she started skidding on the floor halfway and knocked Keigo's group down like a bunch of bowling pins.

Ichigo swore he could see steam coming out of Neliel's ears and was actually a bit frightened by it, but sighed with relief once he realized Senna was farther away from him than she was before.

Senna looked up to find herself on Keigo's lap. She tried to screech, but it was too late. Chizuru already had her hand over Senna's mouth and started drooling. Across the hall, Neliel could hear Keigo yelling to her with his thumb in the air. "ALL RIGHT!" he cheered. "THANKS, NEL!"

Ichigo grabbed Neliel's arm and frantically pulled her forward towards the end of the hall. "Let's go before Chizuru gets _really _erotic," he commanded.

Neliel nodded but couldn't help glaring back towards Senna. "That'll teach her to diss my hair color!"

He rolled his eyes. "Green isn't even a natural hair color," he stated. "At least not for Japanese girls…"

She rolled her eyes back at him. "Like orange is." She giggled lightly, "…At least not for Japanese girls. Right, Itsygo?" she teased.

Ichigo turned red. "Shut up, Nel!" he demanded.

Neliel suddenly stopped. A smiled took over her lips, "Look, Itsygo…" she whispered in his ear. "She's cute, isn't she?"

Confused, he leaned into her. "Who exactly are we talking about..?" He never knew that question would earn him a smack to the head. "OW! WHAT THE HELL DID I DO?" he yelled at her.

She ignored him and continued whispering. "It's Rukia-chan!"

"What?" he asked unbelievingly. "She isn't gorgeous! She's a demon stuck in a midget's body!" That earned him another smack to the head.

"You men are so insensitive!" Neliel whined. "You know she looks totally fab. Can't you tell she's wearing a dress by Miyako? And look at her matching shoes!" She raised an eyebrow and smirked. "…Wait… I said she was _cute_, not gorgeous…"

Ichigo rubbed his head to reduce the pain. He blushed and ignored Nel's statement. "No, I _don't_ know she looks 'fab', and isn't that just like any other dress? 'Cept it has those fancy lookin' lace things on it? And who the hell is Miyako!" It was like Nel was speaking a foreign language with him!

That earned him a _third _smack to the head. Neliel was beginning to get frustrated! "No, you idiot!" she yelled. "Miyako is a fashion designer! And she looks totally _gorgeous_—_almost _as gorgeous as me—with her pretty violet eyes and her voluminous hair, so get your dumb ass over there and say hi before I go back and get Senna!" She's tried numerous times in the past to help Ichigo with girls, but none of them seemed like his type—until Rukia showed up. Both of them were hotheads; it seemed like a perfect match to Nel.

"Wait, but—!" Nel literally *kicked his ass and completely cut him off, sending him flying right into Rukia as she was walking into class. He knocked her over and they fell onto the hard floor of the hallway, both of their books and notes scattering all over the place and into the air.

Ichigo slowly blinked his eyes open, still a little dizzy from the joyride Nel sent him on. He knew he landed on the floor, but for some reason, his face felt something smooth. All he could smell was the scent of vanilla—one of the few scents he actually liked. When his vision was finally focused, his eyes met bunnies. A lot of them. He squinted to read the tiny letters on the fabric, which made out to be: "Chappy the Bunny".

_What the hell is this? _He thought to himself. His eyes trailed up a bit more to see a scowling, red, upset-looking Rukia. "Oh hey, Rukia!" he greeted casually, making sure Nel heard him. _Why is Rukia's face red?_

Rukia's eye twitched. "P.. P…!" She was too embarrassed and upset to talk properly.

Afraid he'd get another smack, he frantically blocked his head with his hands. "W-What's wrong?"

"P…P-PERVERT!" she yelled furiously.

Confused, Ichigo looked around for the 'pervert', but when he began to notice what he was staring at, he, too, turned beet-red. He landed face-first into the deep neckline of her dress. "R-RUKIA! I'M SORRY!" he apologized, quickly bringing his hands to his eyes. "I'M SORRY!"

Rukia was so angry she couldn't even hear his apology. *She pulled both of his arms forward and behind her by the wrists and squished his face under her foot. "YOU LOUSY PERVERT!" she yelled. "PERVERTED STRAWBERRY!"

"WUKIA I'M SORREHCKKKK—" he mumbled, unable to apologize with the heel of her foot in his mouth.

"PERVERT!" she screeched, her face still slightly red. She looked around, relieved to see the halls had cleared up before Ichigo tackled her down. Feeling that she'd punished him enough, she let go of his arms and stood, straightening out her dress. She bent over and picked up their books and notes, breathing heavily from the scene he caused.

Ichigo looked up and scowled, the design of the bottom of Rukia's shoes stamped in the middle of his face. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR, MIDGET!" he yelled angrily.

Rukia blushed and scowled at him disbelievingly. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR'? YOU SAW…" She hesitated for a moment, but continued, "YOU SAW UNDER MY SHIRT, PERVERT!"

His face turned red again. "THAT WAS AN ACCIDENT, I SWEAR!"

Neliel giggled and went to her sixth period class, amused by what she had caused. "See you later, Itsygo!" she called behind her.

Rukia brought her hands to her hips and tilted her head slightly, examining his condition: He had three bruises on his head, the mark of her shoe on his face, a scrape and a large bruise on his arm, and a puffy cheek. She squinted and looked him directly in the eyes.

He eyed her from bottom to top: Her left leg had a huge bruise on it, her dress was dirty, and her hair was a mess. _Why do I feel bad? Nel was the one who kicked me into her… She's not even as injured as I am. _His eyes were pleading her for forgiveness.

Unsure if she could believe him, she hesitated before extending her hand to him. "…It better have been an accident, you pervert.." she grumbled.

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "No, I just have a fetish for Chappy the Bunny undergarments.." he said sarcastically. Rukia resisted the urge to smack him since he already had bruises.

She noticed his legs were a bit wobbly upon trying to stand up. She pulled his arm over her shoulder and held his waist with her free hand to support him, walking him into Kyoraku-sensei's class, but not without catching everyone's attention.

"Way to be discrete," he whispered to her. She glared at him. "Shut up."

"Ah, Rukia-chan and Ichigo-kun… Take your seats, please. You two are lucky the bells are broken, otherwise the tardy bell would've rung and I would've issued you both a detention." Kyoraku-sensei eyed the both of them, noticing their bruises. He sighed and walked over to the freezer. "I don't know what you two were up to during passing period, but don't let it happen again." He handed them multiple icepacks and motioned them to take a seat.

"Gomen'nasai," Rukia apologized. Ichigo nodded, "Yeah… Gomen'nasai, Kyoraku-sensei…" She helped him get to their seats, and once they got there, she placed icepacks on his visible bruises.

"Hey, Rukia?" Ichigo whispered holding an icepack to his head and an icepack to his cheek as Kyoraku-sensei began the lesson. _Why are you helping me?_

Rukia held an icepack to his bruised arm after she bandaged his scraped elbow. "Yeah?" she asked, making sure she wasn't applying too much pressure to his arm.

His brows furrowed. "Your leg," he whispered. She looked at him. "What about it?"

He rolled his eyes, "It's bruised, Midget."

She looked at her legs, finally noticing the large bruise on her left one. It began to throb, but she decided it wasn't important. Why do unnoticed bruises start hurting once you notice them? "Doesn't hurt," she half-lied.

Ichigo scowled. "I bet it does," he said. He moved the icepack from his cheek to her leg. "There. Feel better?"

"…Yeah, it kind of does," she admitted. "By the way… I'm sorry for denting your face with my foot. Pervert."

He smirked. "You better be sorry," he joked. "And I'm anything but a pervert." She pushed him playfully and rolled her eyes. "Shut up, Strawberry…"

Ichigo could see her lips slowly curl into a smile. He raised an eyebrow and eyed her suspiciously. "Something wrong, Midget?"

"I just realized something…" Rukia's smile only grew bigger. "You care!"

His eyes widened as blush spread on his cheeks. "W-What? The hell are you talking about?"

She danced in her seat, swaying the upper half of her body side to side. "You care about me, you care about me!" she stated in a sing-song voice. "If you didn't, you wouldn't have moved the icepack to my bruised leg! You care!"

"You're crazy," he said, scowling. "I don't care. I never did and I never will!"

"Whatever you say…" She didn't believe a word he said. She felt slightly conceited, but she shrugged it off and smiled triumphantly.

He cocked his head to the side. "You're annoying…" he mumbled. _She is such a child!_

He absentmindedly stared at her as she adjusted the icepack on his arm, wondering why she was so willing to help him. He wasn't sure what it was about her that made it possible for him to act and talk that way with someone he'd just met. But those violet eyes were etched into his memory, and after their little incident, it was all that was on his mind, even though he didn't want it to be.

_Stupid Nel was right about stupid Rukia's stupid eyes. _

**(A/N): DAMN RIGHT NEL WAS RIGHT ABOUT HER EYES, ICHIGO! I finally finished! Longer chapter than I thought it would be. Sorry if my scenes with Neliel and Senna and Ichigo and Rukia (the perverted one) was a bit much. I kind of hoped it would give off the funny, smiley feelings you get when you watch Keigo or Kon (those comical scenes from the start of Bleach until the end of Rukia's execution, or those silly scenes in the filler arcs). And just because they're acting like the best of pals at the end of this chapter doesn't mean they're going to be softies and start flirting with each other in the next… Just a heads up!**

***MILF stands for 'Mother I'd Like to Fuck'. In other words, a hot or ridiculously attractive mother. **

***E! True Hollywood Story is an hour-long show that tells you about a celebrity's life before they were famous and how they achieved their fame. **

***Nose-goes is a game where you touch your nose and yell, "Nose-goes!" into getting out of doing something. Example: If your mom is asking for either you or your sibling to wash the dishes, the person who touches their nose last and yells "Nose-goes!" has to do the dishes. **

***Neliel threw Senna like how Ichigo threw Rukia to Renji from the execution stand. Imagine Senna with that cartoony look, with those huge tears streaming from the corners of her eyes as she screams hysterically, and instead of landing on Renji, she lands on Keigo and Chizuru—and they enjoy it. Hehe.**

***When Nel literally kicks Ichigo's ass towards Rukia, it's like how Rukia kicked Ichigo's ass to go slay the hollow when they were standing on the rooftop of a building in chapter 196. I believe it was when she gave him the speech where she ends it with, "That's the kind of man you have been… in my heart, Ichigo!"**

***Rukia steps on Ichigo's face and pulls his arms back much like when Kon was in Ichigo's body and he lunged at Rukia to give her a hug, but before he could, she stopped him and stepped on his face and pulled his arms back while she was sitting/laying on the ground. I think it's either when the first Menos Grande appears in the living world and Ichigo and Uryu try to fight it, or when Chad and Rukia are fighting the hollow Shrieker. I forgot…**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

**-KawaiiShofu**


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